


The Rosebud Graphic Design Affair

by la_chicas_mix



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Love Actually Fusion, First Dates, Inspired by Love Actually, Love Actually References, M/M, Mutual Pining, Office Party, Sarah and Karl, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:09:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23776642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_chicas_mix/pseuds/la_chicas_mix
Summary: David/Patrick AU based on the story of Sarah and Karl from Love Actually.David and Patrick have been working together at the same company for two and a half years and Patrick has been in love with David for all of this time, but they are just colleagues, never having found the courage to ask him out. One night, at a party, things change.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	The Rosebud Graphic Design Affair

**Author's Note:**

> Lots of dialogue shamelessly stolen from the film, sorry. The second part of the story differs from the film, though. In this AU Patrick is still mostly the take charge guy that we know, except when it comes to David – he becomes quite shy and finds it hard to take the first step.
> 
> This is my second piece of fiction ever. Once again, this has not been beta'd and English is not my first language, so please forgive any mistakes!

Patrick loves his job.

When he left his long-term girlfriend and family behind and moved away from home, he never thought that he would be so lucky to arrive in Schitt’s Creek and be able to find another place to call home. But here he is, in the town where everybody fits in, the town that has welcomed him with open arms, the town where he has rediscovered his sexuality, the town where he’s been able to start again.

That fresh start came in the form of a job offer as part time accounting clerk for a local Graphic Design company. This job suited him perfectly at the beginning. It gave him plenty of spare time to get to know the town, its surroundings, best hiking places, and its people.

He was good at his job and he enjoyed it, and sooner than expected he had not only become a full-time employee but was promoted to accounting manager.

His boss, a straight forward, sarcastic and cheeky woman called Stevie had inherited the business from her family and had little interest in the job itself, however she had built a very good team of professionals around her who were able to steer the company in the right direction and always deliver high quality and professional projects.

Patrick loves his job, however today he is distracted.

He is at his desk, looking forlornly at his screen – not focussing in anything in particular – when Stevie calls him into her office.

“Patrick! Come and join me for a minute!”

“Stevie?” Patrick looks slightly worried… Had Stevie noticed him not doing any actual work just then and was about to receive a bollocking?

“Patrick, switch off your phone and tell me exactly how long it is that you’ve been working here”

Patrick grabs a chair mirroring Stevie’s actions, still slightly confused about the question that she has dropped just like that.

“Mmm… two years… seven months… three days and I suppose, what, two hours?” He answers after a just a second. He knows the date very well, as he had started the job just the day after arriving in Schitt’s Creek – and he’ll never forget that date.

“And how long have you been in love with David, my enigmatic chief designer and business partner?” Stevie is blunt, doesn’t beat around the bushes with her question.

Patrick gives a nervous laugh, surprised at being caught in such an unexpected way about the one thing he believes is his only secret. **David Rose** , the gifted, gorgeous, fashion-forward, and sarcastically funny head designer and other half of the partnership in Rosebud Graphic Design. He is also very sociably awkward, which means that they have had only a few encounters in these past few years. But that has never stopped Patrick from ogling and being totally infatuated by him.

“Ha, um… two years, seven months, three days and I suppose an hour and 30 minutes?” He replies eventually, doing some very quick math in his head.

It had been love at first sight, as they say. David had been sketching at his desk when Stevie introduced them on Patrick’s first day in the office. They had shaken hands and openly smiled at each other, unable to stop staring at one another, and Patrick thought he had noticed a spark between them. Patrick was instantly attracted to him, and his infatuation only got bigger the more he got to know David – his humour, his quirks, his mannerisms.

“Thought as much” Stevie deadpanned.

“Do you think everybody knows?” Patrick’s head is suddenly spinning out of control, quite baffled by the revelation.

“Yes” – duh…

“Do you think David knows?!” Patrick is now bewildered, staring at Stevie with wide eyes.

“Yes” she replies easily.

“Oh, that is… that is _bad_ news”. His voice is wobbly. He doesn’t know whether to be embarrassed, confused or worried.

“Well I just thought that… maybe the time had come to do something about it” Stevie’s eyes had a glint of mischief in them.

“Like what”

“Invite him out for a drink and then after about 20 minutes casually drop into the conversation the fact that you’d like to marry him and have lots of sex” she observed like it was just _so_ obvious.

“You know _that_?!” Patrick is stunned. He can’t believe this is happening.

“YES. And so does David. Think about it, for all our sakes” Stevie has had enough of this conversation now, she stands up and wills Patrick towards the door.

“Certainly. Excellent. Will do. Thanks boss.” Patrick is trying to gather himself and his thoughts before fleeing Stevie’s office.

Just as he’s about to leave, David comes in, holding some sketches for the new general store’s marketing materials, that he needs to run through Stevie before they go to the customer.

“Hi Patrick” David shyly looks at him.

“Hi David, erm… excuse me” Still dazed by the recent conversation with Stevie, Patrick looks down and gets out of there as fast as he can. David closes the door behind him and Patrick just stands outside for a second, unsure what to do next.

He turns his phone back on and it rings almost immediately. It’s Rachel.

Rachael calls quite often. Not as often as at the beginning anymore, thankfully, but still _too often_. She calls so regularly that there are a couple of running jokes in the office that Rachel is actually Patrick’s mum rather than his ex, or that Patrick is still _so_ wrapped around her finger that there’s no way they are not together.

He doesn’t mind answering the phone, although he sees it as some sort of obligation. The sense of guilt and remorse from having left her, within days of their upcoming wedding, still haunts him frequently. 

It had been hard at the beginning, the first few weeks after moving to Schitt’s Creek. Communicating again with both his parents and Rachel had been quite the feat. His parents, obviously, were just worried about what had gone through Patrick’s mind that had made him leave in such a hurry, but they weren’t angry. It took him a while to open up to them, but eventually it happened. They weren’t happy about the way he had gone about things, but they were relieved that he sounded happier than he had in a very long time.

Rachel was just devastated for weeks. They had been on and off for years, but after Patrick proposed she honestly thought that this was _it_. That he had changed for good and their future was finally secure. And when he left, without warning, with just a note saying “sorry, I just can’t do it”, it almost killed her.

Getting her to talk to him took a lot of effort, but their relationship had very good foundations and after a few months they were back again in the same speaking terms as before he left. But from 300 miles away and without being romantically involved. Just friends. She had learnt to forgive and he had tried to forget.

They talk about everything and anything. She still relies on him to make small decisions, just like when they were together. And he actually relishes in still being such an important part of her life. Sometimes, however, the calls feel like a chore and he wishes that she wouldn’t contact him so often, but he doesn’t have the heart to tell her that. He had already broken her heart once, and he was not willing to do it again.

***

A month later, Rosebud Graphic Design is having a celebratory party for having finally delivered their most successful and lucrative project so far: the total rebranding of Café Tropical, now that it is under the new management of Twyla Sands. It has been a very exciting and enjoyable project to work on and all the employees and their partners have been invited to the newly refurbished Café for the party.

Everybody is having fun, drinking merrily and dancing to the upbeat music.

Towards the end of the night, Patrick is talking to Amanda, a colleague’s partner, about general office gossip when David approaches him. Amanda – who seems to obviously also be aware about Patrick’s crush on David, _what the fuck_ – gives him a knowing look, and pulls herself away to give them a tiny bit of privacy.

David is now just standing there, right next to Patrick – who doesn’t seem to be able to hide his sudden nervousness.

“Just one dance, before we run out of chances” David is direct but sensual in his delivery. Very sure of himself. This throws Patrick a bit, as he has always been the take charge type of guy, and he’s never this nervous around people. But David is not people. David is _fucking **David**_ and he’s special.

“Who me?” Patrick is edgy and hesitant, surprised that David is even talking to him.

“Unless you…” Oh god, Patrick is noticing the hesitation in David’s voice and he doesn’t like it. He’d better recover the situation quickly.

“No! no… good… yes… Thanks” – he rushes out… _Shit could that have come out any more awkward?_

Amanda, who has been eavesdropping, grabs Patrick’s drink off his hands, so he’s free to join David on the dancefloor.

Patrick takes one second to gather himself and get enough courage to follow David, who is smiling back at Patrick, like he is quite pleased with the outcome of their small exchange.

They reach the dancefloor and start shimmying to an upbeat song, when all of a sudden the music changes to a very slow melody ( _is this the worst DJ in the world?!)._ David and Patrick look at each other nervously, not knowing how to proceed. David tentatively approaches Patrick and holds his hand as they join their bodies into the slow song.

Patrick must be imagining things. Surely this is not happening to him right now.

The song is soulful and moving, and he can feel David drifting his other hand up his shoulder until he reaches the nape of his neck, tentatively caressing the small hairs in the lower part of his head. It feels so intimate and private that he lets his doubts and fears go, embracing this moment. He rubs his thumb through David’s hand, in a warm gesture.

He feels so damn happy that he can’t stop smiling. He is fantasising that he is inside the Chris De Burgh song, dancing cheek to cheek with this wonderful man and that time has stopped around them – there’s no one and nothing else in this very moment that matters more than being in David Rose’s arms, inhaling his scent, feeling the softness of his skin.

They dance like this for a few minutes and then the party is over.

After standing awkwardly staring at each other for just a second, David offers to drive Patrick home and he accepts.

The journey to his apartment is short, however a deafening silence envelops them. Stealing glances at each other at every chance, but without saying a word.

David walks Patrick to his door.

“Well I’m… err… I better go” David says as they stand there, staring at each other.

“Okay” Patrick is so damn nervous and there’s no way that he can take the first step.

“Goodnight”, David says, a bit defeated.

“Goodnight”, Patrick replies.

In that instant, David leans in to give Patrick a kiss. He’s sure that he is aiming for the cheek, but somehow, he ends up on Patrick’s lips. And what starts as a modest peck to begin with turns into a heated kiss within seconds.

“Actually, I don’t have to go…” David exhales softly, his voice full with longing and hope.

“Right… good… that’s good. It’s just… would you excuse me for one second?” Patrick mutters.

He gets out of David’s sight, hiding just on the other side of the door, and does a little victory dance. He still can’t believe that David Rose is here with _him_ , that David Rose has kissed _him_ , and that David Rose is about to come into _his_ apartment.

“Mmm… ok, that’s done. Um...” he can’t help but giggle nervously, “why don’t you give me about 10 seconds and then come in?

“10 seconds”, David smiles a knowing smile.

Patrick rushes in and attempts to tidy up any proof of him being a mere mortal. He wants David to think highly of him, and knowing David like he thinks he does, untidiness won’t do. Not that Patrick is untidy, but David has got high standards.

And like clockwork, after 10 seconds David joins him in the bedroom area.

David takes off his jacket, folding it carefully and resting it on top of a chair. He takes off his striking black sweater, giving it the same careful treatment and leaving it on top of the folded jacket. He’s now standing there on a tight white t-shirt.

Patrick is standing by the bed, just staring at the gorgeous scene unfolding in front of him. Of course he had imagined this in his dreams a million times before, but to have it happening in real life, just a few inches away from you, is breathtaking and thrilling.

He breaks out of his reverie and realises that David is staring at him, wanting, like waiting for him to initiate his own undressing. So Patrick muddles through his own shedding of clothes, until he is also standing in front of David with just his undershirt and trousers on.

Still gazing into each other’s eyes, radiating desire through the pores, they give one step forward towards each other, and then after a miniscule pause, they launch into each other’s arms.

The passion and lust vibrate through their bodies and they crave for more. They can’t get enough off each other, becoming a tangle of arms and legs, wanting to touch every single inch of their skin.

Things are heating up and trousers and t-shirts are being ripped off.

David slowly pushes Patrick onto the bed and climbs over him, his mouth disappearing in Patrick’s neck, licking and sucking all the way from his ear to his chin, across his jaw line, and back again. The pleasure that floods through Patrick’s entire self is so potent that he can’t help but moan at the touch of David against his skin. He is inundated with a constant stream of love running from his toes to the top of his hair and he doesn’t want this to stop. Ever.

And then the phone rings.

It’s Rachel.

“Do you have to answer that?” David sounds disappointed. He knows it’s her. He knows she calls all the time, but he is not entirely sure of what their relationship is.

“No…” Patrick responds, looking intently into the ringing phone.

“Then maybe… don’t answer it” David whispers in his ear.

Patrick hesitates for a moment and then wriggles himself from under David’s grasp. He’s going to answer the phone.

“Hey, how you doin’” Patrick speaks into the handset, as he sits on the edge of the bed.

David has sat up on the bed, patiently waiting for Patrick to finish the call. God, he _needs_ him to finish the call quickly. But Patrick’s saying something about not being busy right now and David can’t help but take his hands to his face in despair.

The night is over.

***

It is now Monday and Patrick has struggled through the weekend. He was thankfully busy, travelling to the Glens for the weekly baseball game on Saturday (he didn’t play at his best, his mind being elsewhere) and then doing some chores on Sunday (which took twice as long as usual, thoughts of David on his bed distracting him all day) but even with being busy, he found time to overthink everything.

It is the beginning of a new week now though, and he needs to see David in the office today and talk to him. He really _needs_ to.

Patrick had actually called Rachel that morning before work. He had tried to put down some boundaries with her and the conversation had gone so much better than he had expected. He told her as much as he could without going into any specific details: how her calls really interrupted his work but also how they were starting to affect his social life too. They agreed to fewer regular calls after she had acknowledged that perhaps she was putting too much of her baggage onto him, and that perhaps it was time to start to ease off – they were best friends, but the demarcation of their friendship had become slightly blurred in the last couple of years.

“Are you seeing someone, Patrick?” she had curiously asked. “No, but I want to” had been his reply.

Patrick is feeling optimistic.

David is never in the office before 10 am, which gives Patrick plenty of time to go and talk to Stevie first thing in the morning. Tentatively, he approaches her office, noticing that she’s already settled in for the day with her cup of coffee.

“Hey boss, do you have a minute?” Patrick asks as he peeks into her office.

“Come on in” she looks up from the book she’s currently reading. She looks at him harshly and says “So what’s up”. She’s always direct and straight to the point, not one for small talk.

“Yeah… I was wondering if you’ve spoken to David since Friday night” Patrick doesn’t necessarily want to discuss his romantic life (or lack thereof) with Stevie, but she’s David’s best friend and she’s the most likely person to know what’s going on through David’s head right now – and Patrick _needs_ to know.

“I may have” – again with the dry response, but this time she has gone back to looking down, her interest quickly shifting from Patrick back to her book.

“Come on Stevie, help me here” Patrick sounds frustrated, he wants her to talk to him, but he is not ready to take her bullshit.

“He’s hurt, Patrick. I don’t know what you want me to say – it’d be better if you just grow a pair and talk to him directly. I don’t want to be in the middle of you two stupid boys”.

“I should talk to him?” Patrick sounds hopeful.

“Have you sorted out your shit?” she snaps back.

“I think so” Patrick offers.

That gets Stevie’s attention. She puts her book down on her desk and stands up to come and sit on the chair next to Patrick.

“Listen – he likes you. Like, _like like_ ” Always so eloquent. “He just doesn’t want to get hurt. But who does, eh? Unless you’re into that stuff – not judging” she adds nonchalantly.

“Of course I don’t want to hurt him, and I _have_ sorted my shit out with Rachel. That shouldn’t be an issue anymore” Patrick sounds confident, like he is saying the right things, what she wants to hear. “So should I talk to him?”

“I don’t know! Don’t ask _me_! What do _I_ know about relationships?!” She’s up again heading back to her desk, grabbing the book from her table. His time is up – he won’t get any more from her today.

However, this little convo has given him a sliver of hope and he may, just _may_ , gather the courage to talk to David today. He had definitely wanted to talk to him since the moment he left his apartment on Friday night. He had regretted answering that call straight away but now he is determined. He yearns for David and he is definitely going to talk to him.

Definitely.

Patrick pretends to work on his month-end spreadsheet while intently eyeballing the main entrance waiting for David to arrive. It is 11 o’clock and no sign of David yet. He is going to come in today, right? Surely there is no reason for him not to come in today?

Patrick is slightly panicking, his head beginning to spin out of control, when David finally comes in, dressed all in black – which is not at all unusual for him – but today he looks particularly dark. He is also wearing large black sunglasses which he hasn’t removed yet, and a black hoodie with the hood up. It’s like he doesn’t want people looking at his face.

David walks past Patrick’s desk but he doesn’t acknowledge him.

Patrick is still feeling optimistic and he is not going to let this discourage him. However, he knows that he needs to allow for David to settle in and have at least a couple of cups of coffee before he is even allowed to talk to him.

So he waits.

If his 15-year relationship with Rachel taught him anything was patience.

Patrick notices David heading to the breakout area for his second cup of coffee, so this seems as good a chance to talk to him as any other.

David is by the espresso machine, fiddling with the buttons, trying to make his very specific beverage, swearing under his breath as he struggles to get the right settings.

“Hey, David?” Patrick approaches him hesitantly and speaks softly.

“What!?” It is obvious that David is not in a good mood as he snaps back, and Patrick wonders if this is a good idea.

“Erm, nothing, sorry to disturb you” Patrick is mortified. His eyes are wide and worried, like a deer caught in the headlights, and he starts walking out.

“Sorry Patrick, wait – I… I didn’t mean to lash out” His tone is calmer now.

Patrick turns around and is able to finally look into David’s face. He looks tired, the bags under his eyes are puffy and there is a dullness in his gaze. Now he understands the need for the sunglasses and hoodie. David doesn’t like being seen looking less than perfect, and today he is looking wrecked.

“David, listen…” Patrick whispers as he slowly attempts to get closer to him. He’s only taken one step, but it’s enough for David to extend his arm forward and gesture him to stop with his hand.

“NO, you listen” This comes out a bit harsher than intended, so David quickly recovers by saying in a softer tone “Mmm… Sorry for leaving without saying goodbye on Friday…”

Patrick interjects. “What are you talking about – you did nothing wrong there David. I was… What I did was stupid and I’ve been lamenting it every second since the other night”. Patrick sounds sincere and David notices his eyes are welling up.

Patrick inhales deeply, gathering the courage to ask “Can you… can you find it in your heart to give me another chance?”

Patrick hopes that the question doesn’t quite catch David by surprise. Surely he had known it was coming. But judging by the gasp that David lets out, it is obvious that he was not expecting him to say that. David must have noticed the sincerity and pain behind Patrick’s eyes as he queries. He inhales deeply, his eyes searching Patrick’s face for a sign that saying yes would be a mistake. But he doesn’t find it. All he sees is a gorgeous, if anxious, man opening himself to him.

“Yes, I am happy to entertain that idea” David replies back with the beginning of a smile forming at his lips. His eyes look happier too. Patrick’s spirit soars.

“Can I take you out on a date, David?” The smile across Patrick’s face is as big as the moon, his expression full of glee and expectation.

“I would love that” David replies quietly. He is also smiling widely, like someone turned a switch and all the lightbulbs in his body turned on.

They go to the Café Tropical for their date a couple of hours after they finished work. There aren’t that many available options in Schitt’s Creek to choose from, and they had agreed to stay in town rather than going to Elmbridge or elsewhere.

Patrick is concerned that it is going to be awkward, but he is mistaken. The evening develops beautifully, strengthening Patrick’s belief that everything will work out in the end.

They talk about work for a long time, what they like most and the least about it, what they see themselves doing in the future, mixing in some office gossip for fun too.

The conversation flows nicely, it is obvious that they get on very well and complement each other. They laugh together easily, like they’ve been together for a long time and there’s a familiarity in their interactions. But all of a sudden David brings up the _Rachel_ topic.

“So… Rachel… what’s going on in there” David drops casually, like he’ talking about the weather or the price of milk at the store. He is playing with the rings in his hand, so he is obviously nervous though.

Patrick is surprised by the sudden change in subject, but he knew they were going to have to talk about this before the end of the night, so he takes a deep breath before he starts explaining. He’s not sure how much David knows, so he starts from the beginning:

“We got together when we were in high school, and we’d been on and off ever since. I don’t know… we always kind of fell back into it. We broke up several times and I hooked up with other girls during these times, however we would always end up together. It just felt easy to go back to her, despite knowing it wasn’t right – ** _I_** didn’t feel right no matter how hard I tried. And we were engaged, but I called it off before moving here…” Patrick is rambling a bit, not wanting to stop his stream of consciousness because he knows it is a lot, but it all has to be said – he doesn’t want any secrets with David.

David is listening carefully, staring intently as Patrick delivers his speech. His eyes moving between his eyes and his lips, following every movement, every muscle twitch that Patrick has when speaking.

“Well, I didn’t actually call it off… I just packed my things one day, left a brief note and took off. Three days before our wedding…” Patrick is now looking down at his hands in front of him, resting on the table, the ache of the memory still fresh in his mind.

David is taken aback by the revelation. He had definitely not known that. He looks at Patrick with his lips tightly pursed, but his eyes are showing empathy, understanding.

“What triggered it?” David urges him on.

“I didn’t know at the time – I just knew I wasn’t happy and every time I thought about spending the rest of my life with Rachel, I just… ugh… I had panic attacks. I was fucking miserable”

“And do you know now?” David is cautious in his question.

“It took me a little bit, but I finally figured it out yeah… Turns out I’m very gay”

This statement catches David by surprise, but he notices the unabashed look in Patrick’s eyes, his cheeky smile, as he shrugs his shoulders in a “ _go figure_ ” gesture – and David starts laughing, which provokes Patrick to start laughing too. Laughing together feels fucking amazing.

“Thank goodness for that. I’d be questioning what I’m doing here if that’s not the case” David manages to say once his laughter has died out a bit.

David leans over the table, resting his hands on Patrick’s. Carefully rubbing his thumb over them.

The laughter has faded out and now they are just there, holding hands – feeling like it had felt at the party on Friday night. The electricity flowing freely between the tips of their fingers, sending shocks of desire all the way to their brains. The world has stopped turning and only they exist in this very instant.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Patrick asks with a wink. He is feeling elated.

“I thought you’d never ask” David teases.

Patrick’s apartment is not far away and they both had walked to the café, so they leisurely stroll back. It is a 15-minute walk at normal pace, but it takes them half an hour to get there. They are not in a hurry – they know they have plenty of time ahead of them. They chat easily, holding hands as they walk, like a well-established couple, people who are extremely comfortable with each other and are not ashamed to show it.

When they get at the apartment, they both seem to have an unspoken understanding that they need to pick up from where they left off on Friday, so without any preambles they close the door behind them and fall into each other’s arms.

They had been feeling the heat rising in the last five minutes, knowing that they were about to arrive at Patrick’s apartment. Now they are just hungry for each other, as they clumsily push towards the bed, without untangling or breaking from one another.

There’s no careful undressing or folding of clothes this time. They are more desperate, more frantic. And when they are finally both on the bed, completely naked in front of each other, they can’t help but gaze in awe at the respective beauty in front of them.

Patrick is gasping for air when he sits on the bed, pushing himself towards the headboard. He’s resting there, totally naked – spread out for David, and he has never wanted anything more or felt more desired in his life.

They slowly pleasure and take each other apart, with kisses and licks and rubs and thrusts, intimate and delicate – enjoying every second and not wasting a single moment.

There are no interruptions this time, no importunate calls.

After they have both cum, hard and relentlessly, beautifully with each other’s names being whispered and screamed, and moaned and groaned, they just lay in bed – cuddling and caressing, happy and content.

Patrick’s head is buried in David’s chest, with his left arm and leg hugging his warm body, like he is holding down in place, stopping him from leaving. He is breathing in his scent, which is musky now after sex, and Patrick thinks he’s never smelled anything more delicious. His hand is lazily caressing the hair in David’s chest and Patrick is in fucking cloud nine.

“Penny for your thoughts” Patrick says sleepily, softly, so softly that he is not sure whether David has heard.

“Mmm…” Something in David’s tone warns Patrick that something is not right.

“What is it?” he asks as he raises his head to look at his face. Patrick is shocked to see a tear seeping through corner of his eye. He lifts himself even more when he notices his face is grimacing. “David, talk to me – what is happening”. Patrick is worried.

David turns his head to the other side of the pillow, to avoid Patrick’s stare. It doesn’t work, because Patrick is gently reaching with his hand to his left cheek and motioning him to look at him.

After a moment’s silence, David speaks.

“You hurt me Patrick. Last Friday. You hurt me once and I’m afraid that you may hurt me again” David is now sobbing full on, his chest shaking violently as he tries to hold back his tears and even out his breathing. He turns his head again – he can’t bear to face him right now.

“No, no no no… David, no – please. Shhh… Look at me” Patrick’s voice is soft, gentle and reassuring. He could have panicked at seeing David crying, however a caring instinct arose instead.

But David’s not turning to look at Patrick. He is still resting his cheek on the other side of the pillow, with his eyes closed, trying to hold back many an unspoken truth.

“I’m so sorry David, I truly am – I know I fucked up. You have no idea… I waited over two years to finally be with you, only to completely screw things up when all I wanted to do was be with you present in that very moment… I shouldn’t have taken that call and I swear to you that it’ll never happen again. _You_ are my priority David, _you_ make me feel right”

The words are escaping Patrick’s body, like they have a life of their own, like he doesn’t own them. The words float above them, lingering in the silence of the room.

They seem to have an effect on David though, as he turns his face searching for Patrick’s honey-coloured eyes.

“Do you promise” It doesn’t sound like a question, more like a dare. And before Patrick can answer, he adds “…because I am damaged goods Patrick, and I find trusting people hard”

Patrick ponders the question and carefully considers his response.

“I do, David. I do promise – I’m 100% in this, whatever you want _this_ to be. You are the most fascinating and beautiful person I’ve ever met – I am captivated by you and I want to give you everything you need”

The sincerity in Patrick’s voice really moves David, who chooses not to say anything and just holds Patrick’s head between his arms while it’s still resting on his chest.

“Good” David whispers before falling deeply asleep with Patrick wrapped in his arms.

Patrick falls asleep just a minute later, hoping to have done enough to win the trust of this wonderful man. He really needs to have him for longer.

Forever if possible.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this Love Actually / Schitt's Creek mashup.
> 
> Link to the Chris De Burgh song I mention, in case people don't know it (not sure how popular it is outside the UK?)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9Jcs45GhxU


End file.
